Interest in getting the jab tails off

Four groups of people have failed to get important vaccinations mostly due to their remote geographical areas, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC).

The first two groups are Thai and migrant workers who have worked in various workplaces as well as villagers or highlanders who have lived in backwater areas where public health services are hard to reach.

The other groups are locals in the three southernmost provinces plagued by persistent violence which has restricted their travel to receive medical services as well as residents in areas where diseases have broke out but who had limited resources to get a vaccination.

DDC senior physician Jurai Wongsawat said the failure to access basic vaccinations indicated that diseases which can be curbed and eliminated by vaccines could become prevalent again. State agencies should roll out proper measures which can help distribute vaccines to the public and raise people’s awareness on vaccination for health safety, she said.

Dr Jurai was speaking during a seminar on immunity reinforcement in Bangkok on Tuesday. The seminar was held to mark World Immunisation Week between April 24 and 30, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Speaking on vaccination in the far South, Prapaporn Langputeh, director of Fatoni University’s Faculty of Nursing in Pattani, said most residents in the three southern border provinces including Narathiwat and Yala have failed to receive vaccine due to the security risk.

In addition, Dr Prapaporn said most residents do not have their children vaccinated as they were concerned about the side effects.

The state should intensify efforts and devise measures to provide vaccination for the public as well as create public awareness about the benefits of vaccine, she said. These measures should be implemented not only for parents and children but also the elderly whose immunity may be weak due to their advanced age, she said.

The National Vaccine Institute’s Jarung Muangchana said vaccination produced the most substantial result in preventing and controlling the spread of diseases. It is more effective than waiting for people to get sick and treating them. Vaccination should be adopted as a national policy, he added.